


It's a budding romance

by Freddie_Ready



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Artist Keith (Voltron), Blood and Injury, Car Accidents, Flowers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Injury, M/M, Museums, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-01-06 04:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18380732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freddie_Ready/pseuds/Freddie_Ready
Summary: Screw the mission of finding the prettiest flower who was he? He was lost in a book? No a sketchbook he was definitely drawing. His wrist flicked a few times to get the shading just right. Shiro could tell he was passionate from the little smirk this guy had. He wondered what he was drawing. Must be some roses or a certain wild flower Shiro didn’t know the bizarre name of. Shiro walked over curiosity getting the better of him trying to peak over the book to see the sketches. But as fate would have it he knocked a pot of flowers.





	1. Rosses are red Violets are blue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic and I don't know what I'm doing. I don't have a proofreader or beta. Just trying this out I'm more of an artist then a writer but I wanted to try something new. Also I wrote this at 2am so It might be worse then I think it is. :P Beware there might be some weird spelling or typos I'm sorry. But I hope you enjoy * Jazz hands*

Something small, a baby step. Post traumatic stress disorder made baby steps feel impossibly large. His therapist had suggested a few activities worried he was isolating himself. The woman wasn’t wrong, he had barely talked to a soul in weeks. 

“ Maybe try the floral conservatory, there is never a crowd on Tuesday mornings. It’s a relatively quiet and tranquil. Or maybe a museum, something to put a little pep in your step.” She said with as much of soft and caring voice as she could muster.

Those words came back to him while he entered the gates of the floral haven. He could do this it was just flowers nothing to remind him of the c- he pushed that thought out as fast as he could. He couldn’t fail so soon. One deep inhale and he walked closer to some purpley flowers. What were they again? Of course the shape of those little bastards should have made it easy. Blue bells, well they aren’t really blue who ever named them better stop playing tricks. He sighed thinking to himself he shouldn’t be getting worked up on a flowers name. But with one last playful glare at the tiny sign he continued to walk.

He noticed a senior lady and her daughter taking photos and gleefully talking about the beauty of their floral environment. Right this was a touristy place, got to look the part. He pulled out his phone and took some photos of some really dainty flowers. The sign read fairy fan flower, welp that name really suited this flower. It felt like if you’d touch it it would disintegrate instantly. He decided then and there he wasn’t fitting in like a tourist since he was taking pictures of by far the weakest flower of the bunch. That’s it his relaxing outing just needed a mission. Find the prettiest flower.

The glass walls seemed to be engulfed with the different vines and wild flowers who seemed to just climb and climb. The multiple rows of dirt sprinkled with assorted flowers was rather intriguing. He wondered if the workers just picked at random which flower went where. After passing the yellow and rose tulips he went onto capturing very blurry photos of sunflowers. He easily dismissed the idea of sitting on the benches, he only needed to tackle the baby step of leaving his house. He entered another green room this time skimming through since it was mostly a garden for vegetables. Vegetables way too boring. 

On the other hand once entering the main greenhouse the biggest of five he almost wanted to turn around and admire said vegetables. There were a few more people to ignore, like the teenagers squealing and taking selfies with the assortment of roses. The old married couple walking hand in hand and the-

The guy with the raven hair who was sitting so smugly in ripped jeans on the bench under the small maple tree. He was ignoring his surroundings so easily unless to take a minute to glare at the yipping teenagers. Screw the mission of finding the prettiest flower who was he? He was lost in a book? No a sketchbook he was definitely drawing. His wrist flicked a few times to get the shading just right. Shiro could tell he was passionate from the little smirk this guy had. He wondered what he was drawing. Must be some roses or a certain wild flower Shiro didn’t know the bizarre name of. Shiro walked over curiosity getting the better of him trying to peak over the book to see the sketches. But as fate would have it he knocked a pot of flowers. 

Purple eyes met his and he froze in place like a statue. Shit! He was staring and probably looks like a creep, not to mention the flowers he almost murdered. The guy’s eyebrows furrowed clearly confused. He closed his book with a swift action and grabbed his pencils. He watched as Shiro picked up the pot and place it carefully back down. Shiro turned around opened his mouth then closed it again. God! 

“Sorry.” He started the purple eyed man said. “ I got carried away, it’s the best seat in this place. I didn’t realize you wanted me to move, please have a seat.” He said standing up.

He was shorter than Shiro by a foot at least. Dammit why was this creative stranger getting cuter to him. Why was he acting so weird. Wait the best place here? Did he come here a lot? Did he work here? 

“ Oh.. Sorry for staring. Um.. I wasn’t wanting to steal your spot. I.. uh was just um… curious… what were you drawing? If you don’t mind me asking of course..“ He said timidly. 

The guy tensed clearly not expecting that. He held his sketchbook up to his chest as if protecting the sacred doodles. His eyes looked up and down Shiro for a moment calculating. 

“I don’t really like showing my art to strangers...” He said with a tone a little annoyed sitting back down.

“Yeah.. okay” He said leaving with a little wave. “ Sorry for interrupting.” 

The raven haired guy gave him a small nod and was going to say it was not trouble but...

Saying that Takashi Shirogane bee lined out of that conservatory was by far the biggest understatement of the year. He was so embarrassed and hated everything of that interaction. God he felt way too embarrassed for life to even be real. He didn’t even know this snippy artist. Of course the guy didn’t want to just show his art to a random gawking stranger. He shouldn’t feel this bad he’ll probably never see him again. He arrived at the front desk with his ears still burning he gave his day pass back to the lady in her green uniform. 

“Are you an artist?” She asked suddenly. 

“What? Oh no not at all.” He said confused. 

“Oh sorry I just assumed, since you were chatting with Keith. He isn’t much of a talker but once you get to know him he is such a sweet guy.” She said smiling ear to ear. “ Usually artists chat him up.” 

“Oh.” He said still not feeling good enough for another failed attempt of a conversation. 

 

“ Well I hope you enjoyed your time, and I hope you come again since you didn’t use the full day.” She said in a sing song kind of way like a script she was well to used too. 

“ Yeah sure.. Thanks again.. Ro-Romelle. It was.. Fun.” He mumbled before heading home. 

His therapist got to hear all the gory details of his awkward encounter the next day at his appointment. She reminded him that he’d been rusty in the whole talking to strangers department. But she did congratulate him on the progress he was making. He definitely didn’t feel the progress at all. After some reminders of breathing exercises and perhaps to start a journal to write his thoughts in his appointment finished quickly.

Weeks later after only leaving his house for the scheduled one week appointments with Allura and the dreaded groceries he decided to try again. This time he wasn’t going to humiliate himself in front of a cute artist. No way. He won’t set foot in that conservatory and risk the chance of seeing that guy again. He needed a little comfort So he put on his favourite leather jacket and had started looking at an exhibition with headphones on. No one should talk to him if he listened to loud violins. He put his hands in his pockets calming his tense shoulders. 

He was doing okay. Monday morning in a museum not too busy the classes coming in always came in the afternoon so the schools wouldn’t have to feed their students. He only crossed paths with a few people who paid no mind to him. No one stared at his prosthetic arm or the scar woven across his nose. He was fine because everyone was paying attention to the art. And for good reason the art. Wow. 

This five foot painting of a galaxy had him transfixed. Maybe it was the calming sound of ‘Cello suite no 1 in g major’ or the rhythmic swirls of the galaxy colliding with stars that took his breath away. He had to admit he was feeling so calm he let the song finish while admired the small details of the speckled galaxy. The purples seemed so rich reminding him of those dumb blue bells from the conservatory. He shook his head. This art piece deserved more than him putting awkward situations in his head instead of taking it all in. He looked at the museum label reading “ K.Kogane, Acrylic painting, Titled: Swallowed by stardust, Jan 2019”  
That title definitely fit Shiro thought. 

He continued to look at more art and saw another from K.Kogane. This time it was a smaller piece the size of a cereal bowl. It was so small that Shiro had to lean in to see the depth and the detail. A sunset in the desert it seemed almost heartbreaking the violent wind in the sky tearing away at the colourful clouds. This painting felt like a lost memory. Shiro was taking his time to appreciate this one too, to make sure it didn’t feel like he had picked a favourite between the two. But he did have a thing for stars. He sighed thinking he shouldn’t be worrying over the made up feelings of an inanimate object when he felt someone tap on his shoulder. 

Shit, he had headphones on he probably didn’t hear them to ask them to move. He turned taking his headphones off to apologize but stop before he even began to see familiar purple eyes. Double shit. The artist from the garden how the hell is he here too. Artist duh he came to check out art. He’s probably a student. Shiro focuss!


	2. In a museum you are the only master piece I see

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes folks I'm going to give the cheesiest chapter titles ever your welcome <3 But lets be real starting a fan fic when you should be working on homework is very dangerous. But again hope you enjoy Keith's point a view

Keith hated going to the museum to talk about upcoming exhibitions. The curator was far too eccentric for his taste. But what ever paid the bills right? He did have to admit he was happy with his last exhibition. He walked into the museum showing his artist pass to the security guard, with a little procrastination on the mind he decided to visit his little art creations. Coran could wait a little while longer right? 

He thought it just wasn’t all that right to ignore other artists hard work. He skipped some pretentious self portraits though he had standards at least for that. But one did catch his eye, he was impressed by a painting of rain. The drops seemed to pop out of the canvas. A deck painted with a dry brush had been poured on by the rain in the photo. It seemed like an abandoned dream but it still had warmth. The welcome mat at front of the door and the wind chimes made it feel like a home full of love. Something Keith wished upon his own home. Even in the somber storm the house stood tall and protected the loving family he imagined for the portrait.

He checked the museum label to see which artist just gave him a pang of emotions with all that oil paint.“Hunk, Oil painting, Titled: First home, may 2015” Keith hoped he could meet this Hunk fellow one day to see more of his work. The name was intriguing too was it a stage name? He went over to the next room knowing that his first piece would be near the entrance. He was really proud of the galaxy he painted. It took him three months to paint just right. Far more failed canvases of galaxies waited for him at home in his closet. He went to go check it out but there was a tall man there. 

He had a nice leather jacket on and headphones. Keith didn’t expect biker guys to like his art. The guy seemed like a real tough guy a little familiar too. Wait were those tears in his eyes? Keith decided to wait for him to leave his painting. He sat down next to a nearby bench and watched the man who seemed enthralled and waited. He thought the man was really handsome too after chucking his initial biker guess in the trash to maybe a professor. The man seemed to be glued on the spot it's been almost five minutes. Keith was not patient enough for this. He got up to go but the man grabbed his phone changed the song and kept walking. Oh he’s done. Finally!

Keith sighed it was a little embarrassing watching someone like a creep seeing their reactions of his art. God maybe this was a mistake he was going to get caught. This man could turn around any time and see him watching. The nagging thought of this man being familiar made him keep watching him though. Where did he know this mystery man? No, why is he going to his dessert painting. That was his dad’s favourite. Honestly he wasn’t as happy with this one it was too small and felt more rushed. And don’t forget it was OLD. It was when he was still experimenting with the paints his dad gave him. He should remind himself to not submit any old high school art ever again. He watched the man with the broad shoulders lean in to see more of the painting. Keith saw the man’s wallet fall out of his pocket. And yes he was definitely checking out this guy’s butt. Keith bit his lip, pull yourself together he thought. Be a good citizen or whatever and help this clueless idiot.He walked over with a little more determination and grabbed the wallet.

“Hey, you dropped this.” he said but had no reply. “ Hey buddy?”

Oh right the headphones with the faint violin escaping letting him know the music was far too loud to hear him. This guy is really in the zone. He tapped his hand on his shoulder making the guy jump and scramble for his headphones. Whoops!

“ Sorry for startling you..” Keith said rubbing the back of his neck.” Um, you dropped this.” He tried to keep a straight face. Man this guy was cute with a flustered face. Wait cute flustered guy that reminded him exactly where he saw this guy before. The conservatory gay disaster guy thats him. What are the odds?

“ Oh.. Thank y-you so much.” He said grabbing the wallet and stuffing it in his jacket , yeah the unreliable pocket the same one. He looked really nervous, cute but nervous.

“No worries.” He gave a polite grin.” I’m Keith by the way. So you like art?” He said lifting a hand to shake. Look at him go networking or flirting god if only Pidge were here to see this. The jokes would never end. 

“ Takashi, but uh people just call me Shiro.” He said taking his hand from the pocket, the prosthetic knocked the wallet out again. Shiro’s cheeks were so pink Keith swore someone attacked him with makeup. 

Keith bent down to grab the poor wallet again but so did Shiro. Foreheads hit like a little clang. Keith chuckled. God this guy was a mess. A hot mess. Wow where his eyes silver? 

“Sorry.” He said brushing his white hair out of his eyes avoiding eye contact. Once they were both up again Keith returned the wallet placing it in the mess’s prosthetic hand. So that wasn’t a trick of the light last time he saw him. 

“No worries man.” He said feeling a little bit better. Keith thought he was awful at being social but talking to this guy made him feel really calm. “ Better keep that in a safer place.” He joked, that seemed to give Shiro a more relaxed smile. 

“ Yeah this jacket is my favourite but the pockets really do need zippers.” He chuckled putting the wallet in his back pocket. Good progress they were using full sentences without stuttering and he wasn’t using useless pockets. 

“ And yeah… too answer your question art is cool .” Keith felt like that's exactly how he'd answer that question he could never do the fancy blah blah artists would come up with. “ This Kogane guy is really talented. He really adds emotion in his paintings it's impressive.” he said looking back at the art piece. Never mind Keith thought maybe he was the only artist who couldn't articulate for shit. He tried not to blush getting compliments indirectly were just a little nicer he thought. No one really stuck around to actually get to know him. He wouldn’t let anyone loiter near his feelings anyway.

“ So do you com..” Keith started but was interrupted by the dreaded red headed British man. Keith tensed at the shriek of a hello. 

“Hey Keith! So called mister Gold! Ha! Like what I did there?” He smiled wide playing with his very old fashioned moustache. “ Thought we had plans of a meeting?” He said with a tone that could give any mother’s guilt trip a run for their money. 

“Sorry sir…” He started not hiding his irritation all that well. “ I just got a little carried away. I was on my way.” He said standing up a little straighter to not look like he was slacking off and hitting on an innocent stranger. Keith took a chance to glance up at Shiro who looked positively awkward. Good both of them wanted to run from this guy. Was there a lot of social awkwardness in the air? Yeah. Did Coran notice? Hell no. 

“ I’ll see you upstairs then.” He said gleefully. “ Now I must find that assistant of mine it appears he is hiding from me or just doesn’t want to provide caffeine.” He joked, one last guffaw and he was prancing back to his office.

Keith turned half expecting Shiro to have left. He already seemed like a saint since sticking for that rather fast chat with the goofy curator. Their eyes met and Keith swore he saw a little smile. 

“Sorry about that Shiro.” He fixed the collar of his button up. “Duty calls… Very loudly apparently.” He smiled at Shiro’s rosy cheeks, was he really not wearing any blush? “ It was nice meeting you… properly… Sorry for biting your head off last time.” 

“ Thanks.. For the wallet… It was nice meeting you too. Sorry for intruding again I didn’t realize your art was so personal.” He said tangling his fingers together like he didn’t know what to do. For such an attractive guy he sure was shy.

“Maybe I’ll see you around again sometime?” He said with a smirk. Shiro looked surprised but smiled so warmly Keith swore there were proper butterflies in his stomach. 

Dammit Keith you have to go to this meeting stop flirting. He started to walk away with a small wave. Once at Coran’s office he felt like kicking himself since he didn’t give the guy his number. Lance will be very disappointed.


	3. Hey bud, how's it growing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's POV again! Trigger warning for car crashes and injuries. I am starting to plot some fun angst with the fluff. I wanted to post this since its all I'm thinking about now. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! <3

The first thing he remembers is pain. It's always pain. His right arm hurt like hell. Something was leaking up his forehead. Eyes opening to a world upside down and no sound. He shifted trying to figure out where he was with the faint smell of gasoline. All of a sudden he was crowded by paramedics and firefighters it seemed like they kept coming. Metal crunching under machines he'd never seen before. Wait where was his arm? Why did his ribs hurt so much? 

He woke with a jolt and a cold sweat. It'd been awhile since he had a vivid dream like that. His ears felt like he was wearing ear plugs and couldn't hear properly. His senses were still stuck on panic mode. His hands had a death grip on his sheet. He tried to take a slow deep breath and put a hand on his chest. He could hear his alarm chirping on the other side of the room. Yes good Dr. Allura told you to ground yourself. He tried to focus on the touch of his fingertips on his cotton shirt. And looked around the room for something peaceful. Ah yes the weather looked nice outside puffy clouds and blue sky. A few more deep breaths and he was feeling better. 

Shiro had a lot of time to gather the courage to go back to the conservatory. It had only been a few days from the chat he had with Keith. He had gone through a few outfits to try and look like a decent human instead of a mess. But that meant less comfortable clothes.Fashion was not his strong suit he thought the whole world would disagree. The famous leather jacket was on a time out anyway. After finding dark blue jeans and a long sleeve grey shirt that was semi soft he decided for coffee. Yeah coffee was a good idea he hadn’t slept well in a few days. The nightmares were getting bad again. He knew when the nightmares got worse a string of panic attacks followed. God forbid he has another one in public. Shiro pondered the risks and still decided going out seemed like the best option, plus he had barely anything for a meal. Look at flowers, talk to a cute artist, groceries, then home. Solid plan he thought. But first coffee. 

He sat down with his freshly brewed insta coffee. Sure it was a little stale and gave a weird aftertaste but it was better than going to a coffee shop. Too many hipsters could stare at him over laptop screens. He sat down enjoying as much as he could the coffee. His phone dinged a few times. It was his grandfather letting him know he’d be in town soon if they could hopefully have dinner together soon. It was sweet of his grandfather wanting to check in. It had been awhile since he’d seen him. He’d been traveling all over Japan visiting old friends and going on cruises. Shiro did feel a little guilty that his one and only grandfather was worrying over him during his retirement. He’d done so much for him all ready. Helped him during his recovery and paying for therapy and this apartment. He always offered to pay his grandfather back but was told his well being was payment enough. 

‘ Hey, I miss you too I hope the trip is going great and you took pictures. I’d love to see you when you are in town.’ He texted back before chucking his phone on the sofa.

After finishing his coffee he left the apartment and headed down the stairs. Four flights of stairs ,bright fluorescents, and gross green painted walls made him really appreciate the weather outside. There were wispy and fluffy clouds kissing the sky and the sun was so bright it stung his eyes. Birds were chirping away in the nearby trees. He knew today was going to be a good day. Forget the nightmares and the silly little nervousness. ‘You have a plan Takashi’ he thought to himself with a smile. He put his headphones on and put his music on shuffle. The conservatory was only a thirty minute walk from his apartment. It would be faster by car or bus, but he didn’t want to be stuffed in between people. Crowds still made him anxious. And it was a hard pass on the car it also helped that he didn’t own one.

Once arriving at the conservatory the sky seemed a lot more grey maybe a storm was coming. He didn’t check the weather it seemed like a such a beautiful day. Who knows maybe he’s just projecting his thoughts on the sky. But that thirty minute walk home looked a lot less appealing now. He walked up to the counter and fetched his wallet out of his back pocket a day pass would be a good idea. He smiled politely at the girl who seemed distracted by some paperwork. He cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked up and beamed recognizing him right away. It had been weeks but maybe Shiro really had left a good impression. 

“ Sorry about the wait sir!” She said in her sing song voice. “ How can I help you?” 

“ Hi.. No worries. I was just hoping for another day pass. It was fifteen dollars right?” He said checking his wallet making sure he did indeed not forget the twenty dollar bill.

“ Oh GOSH no! Silly you never finished the day pass last time. Were you here to see Keith?” She said smiling wide. “ He seems to really like you!” She added. 

Shiro blinked was this girl just gossiping on the job or messing with him? He pulled out the twenty anyway. She seemed so enthusiastic. He handed the bill over to her and she frowned.

“ No no… I uh just wanted…to see fl-flowers.” Damnit his cheeks were probably pink.” I would feel bad not paying and I don’t want you getting in trouble.” He said raising his eyebrows. 

“ Excuse me but anyone making mister sour pants smile for a week can come here free anytime they want. Trust me its fine. “ She assured “ I will get in trouble if I don’t finish my science project before tonight. So do me a solid and go sqidaddle already.” She insisted raising her eyebrows.

Shiro huffed a smile and thanked her. She seemed like a very cheerful and silly person. He did hope she wouldn’t get caught doing her homework on the job. Maybe she was a student like Keith? Maybe she was an artist too. He had more rambling thoughts to think of but was stopped by a small manicured hand.

“ Before you go.. I know you are just here to be here. But if you did want to see Keith he’s working on the main greenhouse. It wouldn’t hurt for you to pop by and say hi.” She giggled. “ We would all appreciate more goofy smiles from him.”

He walked through the first few greenhouses as slowly as he could. He was both so excited and nervous. He was trying to calm his heartbeat and not run into any flower pots. He was stopping at the sunflowers for a few minutes looking at the bright yellow petals. That’s when he noticed the slow pitter patter of rain starting. Shoot, his assumption of a storm was unfortunately right. 

Familiar rosses and the bench under the tree. He really was ignoring the flowers to find the artist with raven hair. But he wasn’t there the only person there was a senior lady who was on the south side. Weird the girl at the desk said he was here. Rose- no Romelle must have been mistaken. He sighed a little disappointed one thing from his list was not going to happen today. He decided since there was barely anyone around he could sit on the bench and maybe watch the rain fall down the glass. He put his headphones back on this seemed almost as peaceful as that galaxy painting he loved so much. He stretched out his legs and took a deep breath smelling earth and pollen.

The rain started pouring louder but his music drowned it out. Keith was right this spot was the best. The bench in comfy and has multiple views of the garden prime spot to draw. He tried to look at the flowers with the mindset of an artist try and see beauty soaked in everything. Shiro was more of a science kind of guy but he was surrounded with pretty flowers. It was really relaxing. He wondered if Keith liked star gazing after seeing his take on the great cosmos. 

Maybe he was imagining it but he thought he heard someone say 'watch out!' faintly. Maybe it was nothing he thought he took his eyes off of the rain to see a sudden cloud of dirt. After coughing out a lung full of dirt he looked up to see who dropped the bag of dirt. That handsome face with the purple eyes looked so embarrassed. Keith was looking at him with big eyes making Shiro think maybe it was his fault the bag exploded. There Keith was in a dark green jumpsuit and gardening gloves holding onto a nearly empty bag of fertilizer. There was dirt on his cheek and neck that made him look like a baker who was careless with flower. He put the bag down with the rest on a dolly and hurried to Shiro.


	4. Dirty jokes and crushes blooming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guess who's back with another chapter! ( I even got to write more this time! )Keith's POV once again and I made him a little more lovey hope you like it. Also I drew some doodles for the chapter too but I have no Idea how to attach it to the fic . Sorry its been awhile I've been drowning in homework and school is over in a month and I'm really excited to try writing more. Don't worry about the chapter title I just wanted to find a dirt pun this fic is still safe for work. I just really love puns and hopeless romantics. Speaking of hope you enjoy this new chapter <3

Nothing's worse then waking up from a night of barely any sleep. His roommates were happily not caring about their noise levels last night. One star trek marathon and a few goofy YouTube videos blared throughout the night. Keith hated when they decided sleep was not necessary. Keith really had it with his roommates playing loud movies and talking for hours it was getting old. Not only did he not get enough sleep he had a shift today. But he could not afford living alone in this shit economy. His roomates also knew to leave him alone while he’s in the zone painting so he had that at least. Pidge religiously made sure there is always enough cereal in the house at all times. And Lance did cook bigger portions since he was used to living in a big family he always offered food. But today Keith decided he was not in the mood for their collective grumpy moods melding together.

Keith made sure to slip out away from his two comatose roommates and the scattered Chinese food from last night. He headed over to the conservatory to help with the heavy lifting. The owner had a soft spot for him and would let him in to draw at any time. He loved having a spot for himself and he really did love working there. Organizing supplies helping out with transporting heavy equipment even chatting with Romelle sometimes. She always had her nose in everyone's business. It took him a while to get used to her but she was really sweet when she wanted to be. 

Keith did try and sit down and get inspired by all the nature when he was having major art block. He liked the heavy lifting and keeping things organized. It was calming The supply shed was definitely the messiest it's ever been. Clearly the other workers have been getting lazy knowing Keith would be by. He’d plan to move some supplies so the morning shift tomorrow wouldn't have to do it. The more pressing issue is cleaning this mess. Hosses, bags of seeds, pots, and all the essential tools he moved in specific. He packed a trolley full of dirt bags to bring it to the main greenhouse since they had planned to take out a whole section of flowers to make a new arrangement. Maybe this trolley was too full because it was pretty heavy this time.

While wheeling the dirtbags he was holding a half opened bag over his shoulder. He should probably have a talk with the other staff to be more careful with the supplies. There of course were three toddlers running around giggling not paying any mind to where they were running. The little boy with the snotty nose bumped into his side and another bumped into his trolley and it slipped from his hands.  
“Watch out!” He said trying to catch the trolley so no feet would get squashed, but he forgot the half opened the bag he was carrying. 

One cloud of dirt heading straight to his favourite bench. This was just his luck. Wait was someone sitting there? Is that Shiro? Well Keith was fully mortified now. He looked at the kids who knew they did wrong run to their parents. They weren’t hurt so he wouldn’t get reprimanded by them but Shiro? He seems too nice to yell at him. But shit his whole outfit is covered in dirt. 

“I’m so sorry.” He said folding the almost empty bag and plopping it on the ground. “ Those little troublemakers ran into me. I- I shoot your clothes.” He rubbed the back of his neck, great now he was the gay disaster. 

Shiro took his head phones off the only thing not covered in dirt was his ears. He looked ridiculous. At the mention of clothes he looked down stretching his shirt to assess the damage. That must of been the final straw since he started to giggle. 

“Sorry. Pfft.” His nose crinkled highlighting the scar across it. “ I’m not laughing at you.” He took a breathe to compose his giggles. “ This is not how I imagined seeing you again or how today would go.” he said with the brightest smile. 

Keith heart felt like it was two sizes too big. He smiled back but man his brain was turning into mush. He avoided his eyes looked back at his clothes then the idea popped in his head. He bit his lip and hoped this didn’t sound too weird. 

“Hey.. uh… We have some extra uniforms in the back if you want you could wear that and I could wash your shirt?” He said raising his eyebrows in question.

Shiro seemed to contemplate that for a second too long before nodding with another soft grin. For such a goofball this guy sure had the prettiest smile keith has ever seen. But goofball seem to not quite fit him. Shiro was not as bad as Lance’s dad jokes or over exaggerated matchmaker attempts. This disaster gay infront of him seemed to make him feel like your favourite song playing on the radio. God why was he being so sappy today? He blamed it on the lack of sleep. Lance and Pidge owe him coffee for life. 

They walked out of the green houses with the visitors giving out questioning looks. They did seem like a pair of weirdos. This is the moment the trolley's wheel decided to jam. He had stopped abruptly to inspect the low functioning wheel while cursing in his head. Great why not make him look like more of a clutz in front of this cute guy.

Shiro instantly checked on Keith when he stopped then saw the problem. Some of the bags must have shifted and all their weight was on one of the wheels. He went and grabbed two of the four bags and lifted in above his left shoulder. Easy fix. 

“Oh!” Keith watched in awe. “You didn’t have to that.” He watched as Shiro started to walk forward like it was nothing. Keith wasn’t the strongest at weightlifting but this trolley was enough to tire him out. Shiro made the bags look like they weren't heavy at all.

“It’s fine. I want to help.” He said with another grin.

 

Once at the main entrance they just had to turn to the left to get to the staff room. But of course that meant passing by Romelle there trusted part time secretary. She will have lots to say about the horror scene they look like. Not to mention the dirt they are letting go everywhere on the floor. Once Keith locked eyes with her he saw the waves of different emotions cross her face. He was not ready for a lecture. He ignored her pointing at Shiro and him like the gossiper she is. God forbid she ever meet Lance. He’d never hear the end of teasing from the two but they probably be good friends. He sighed dragging poor Shiro to the staff room opening the door with his key. 

“There’s a sink there you can wash your face.” He said leaving the trolley next to the fridge. “And the bags can just go back on the trolley I’ll deal with that while you clean up.” He said nonchalantly as if this has happened to multiple employees and it's no big deal. “ And here is the extra uniform.” He said holding it up. “ It’s Kolivans it should fit you..”

Shiro seemed to be taking in his surroundings. Like the mini fridge from the 80’s and the small table with the first aid kit seemed like a place he’d want to remember forever. Maybe it was the efficient laundry machine microwave set up he was transfixed with. Or was it the weird cat poster Romelle insisted to hang up. Keith thought that look in his eye reminded him so much of that cool “biker” guy looking at his paintings so long ago. Shiro blinked a few times seeming to finally process the words and nodded putting the bags down. Then he went to grab the uniform out of Keith’s hands and their hands touched. Nothing special or rom com worthy. But Keith’s nerves seem to give him in electric shock of butterflies. He needed to get this together. 

“Thanks.” Shiro said with a hint of nerves. Oh good maybe he wasn’t the only one deluding himself that the cute stranger and himself had chemistry. 

Keith quickly left to give him privacy and grabbed a broom to fix the dirt trail at the main entrance. Romelle seemed to sense his return and instantly pounce on him to interrogate the hell out of him.

“ Keith! What did you do?!” She chirped a little too loudly making him cringe. “ I said get his number not spill dirt all over the guy to make him take his clothes off at work! Seriously you scandalous boy you! What would Kolivan say?” She giggled almost like an evil character in a bad kids movie. 

“Whoa! No Romelle that was n… It was an accident I swear. Don’t look at me like that.” He pouted. “ There was these kids who ran into me and I dropped one of the dirtbags.” He huffed. “ And could you for the love of just be quiet he might hear you.” he glared. 

“Sure suuuuuuure!” She sang “ What an elaborate story to tell your future grandchildren.” She joked. 

“You know what I was just going to clean up the mess I made but you are volunteering for sweeping duty.  
“ He said smirking widely. 

Romelle rolled her eyes and grabbed the broom heading right back to her science homework at her desk. 

“You know you better get his number this time.” She yelled back as Keith groaned. 

Keith made his way back to the staff room when he saw Shiro in the company uniform. It was an ugly uniform, the fabric isn't soft the pockets are huge and it's not the best forest green colour. For some reason and the stars only know but Shiro looked great. He seemed to make clothes bend to his will like a lord of fashion. Shiro’s hair was a little wet from washing his face and he got most of the sandy dirt out of it. He did need a shower for it to all be gone tho0ugh. Keith thought he looked prime for a gardening calendar. Shit he is staring too long and Shiro noticed. 

“ Sorry for making you wait.” He said rubbing his neck. “ The uniform fits. That’s great!” 

“Uh yeah I went to try and find you to ask where the laundry detergent is then locked myself out.” He said looking down like a defeated child.

“Oh. Right.” He moved to the door to unlock it again and realized that maybe Shiro did hear Romelle squawking. His ears were getting hot. He went in and grabbed the green box and brought it to the machine quickly making sure Shiro’s clothes could be salvaged. “There we go. Should be done in about 45 minutes.” he said looking back at Shiro when a hand was on his shoulder. 

“Thanks Keith.” He said with a grin, and were his cheeks pink? Self note tell Kolivan to change the awful fluorescent lighting in the staff room. That shoulder touch wasn’t long but it made Keith feel so much familiarity like they’ve known each other forever. Its so weird he’s never felt like this before. But everyone leaves he can’t like this feeling.

“I ruined your day don’t thank me.” he said looking away.

“ No.. no you might have almost ruined my shirt but not my day.” He said with sad eyes and a warm grin. “ Besides my day would have sucked if we didn’t see each other. I wanted to see you again.” He said blushing more. So the crappy lights weren’t lying to him. 

“How are you so nice?” he scoffed. “I mean, I'm glad to see you too but this might be boring for you hanging out with me during my shift.” He said tugging his sleeves realizing there was dirt under his fingernails god why did Shiro have to catch him looking so gross.

 

“I could help you out I already look the part.” He said raising his arms to showcase the fabulously ugly uniform while wiggling his eyebrows. Welp now he was getting that goofball label no denying it now. “ I swear I won’t distract you or anything I could help carry things and..” Keith wanted to scoff at that last comment since this guy would be the most distracting with his good looks in any room.

“Sure I guess it would be nice.” He said grinning. “ But I’ll treat you to lunch then.” He said with a wink.


End file.
